Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Friday that Russia and the United States would continue to talk about possible prisoner swaps directly, without intermediaries, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Ryabkov also said, according to the Interfax news agency, that Russia would “communicate with all partners who show interest in this”, including Bill Richardson, former governor of the US state of New Mexico.

Richardson had travelled to Moscow in a private capacity in an effort to win the release of American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was freed from a Russian prison on Thursday in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Freed arms dealer Bout says West wants to ‘destroy’ Russia

US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Washington remained committed to securing the return of imprisoned former marine Paul Whelan - whose release Richardson had also lobbied for in Moscow.